MacBook Running Slow? Tips for Speeding Up and Optimizing

Asya Karapetyan
4 min readFeb 5, 2024

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If you are a MacBook user, you probably love your device’s sleek design, user-friendly interface, and powerful performance. But what if your MacBook is not running as fast as it used to? What if you experience frequent lags, freezes, or crashes? What if you have to wait for minutes for your apps to load or your files to open?

These are signs that your MacBook needs some optimization. In this article, I’ll share some tips that you can follow to boost your MacBook’s speed and performance.

Why is my MacBook slow?

Over time, your device can accumulate junk files, outdated caches, duplicate photos, unused apps, and other clutter, slowing down your system and taking up valuable disk space. These issues can also affect your battery life, security, and privacy.

Best tool for optimizing a Mac

One of the best ways to speed up your Mac and keep it running smoothly is to use MacCleaner Pro. This powerful tool can scan your system for junk files, duplicates, large files, and other items that take up unnecessary space and slow down your performance. MacCleaner Pro can also help you uninstall unwanted apps, manage your startup items, free up RAM, and monitor your disk usage. With MacCleaner Pro, you can easily optimize your Mac in a few clicks and enjoy a faster and cleaner experience.

There are some steps to optimize your MacBook and make it run like new again.

Clean up your startup items

These are the apps that launch automatically when you turn on your MacBook. Some of them may be unnecessary or unwanted, and they can slow down your boot time and consume your resources. To manage your startup items, do the following:

  1. Go to System Settings.
  2. Click General.
  3. Select Login Items.
  4. Uncheck the ones that you don’t need.

Update your software

Keeping your macOS and your apps up to date is important for fixing bugs, improving security, and enhancing features. To check for updates, go to System Settings → General → Software Update and click on Update Now. You can also enable automatic updates by checking the box next to Automatically keep my Mac up to date.

Delete unused apps

If you have apps you no longer use, you can delete them to free up some disk space and reduce clutter. To uninstall an app completely, use a third-party app cleaner to remove all the deleted apps’ associated files and folders.

Clear your browser cache and history

Your browser stores temporary files and data from the websites that you visit. This can help you load pages faster and remember your preferences, but it can also take up a lot of space and slow down your browser. To clear your browser cache and history, go to your browser settings and look for the option to delete browsing data.

Optimize your storage

If your disk is almost full, your MacBook will run slower and have less room for new files or apps. To optimize your storage, use a third-party tool MacCleaner Pro. It will help you reduce clutter, delete duplicates, find large unused files, and more.

Manage desktop clutter

A cluttered desktop with numerous icons can slow down your Mac. Organize your desktop and move files to appropriate folders. This simple step can significantly enhance your Mac’s performance.

Check your system for memory-consuming apps

You should identify resource-hungry applications. For this, open Activity Monitor and see which apps are consuming the most CPU and memory. Consider closing unnecessary or background applications to free up system resources.

Regular maintenance

Make optimization a routine. Regularly clean up your system, update software, and perform maintenance tasks to keep your Mac running smoothly over time.

Conclusion

By following these steps, you can significantly optimize your slow Mac and enjoy a faster and more responsive computing experience. Remember that consistent maintenance and good digital habits can go a long way in preserving your Mac’s performance.

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